New yESTRO committee member: Jenny Bertholet- PDF Version

What is your current position?

I am a postdoctoral research fellow at the joint department of physics at the Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, UK.

What is your educational background?

I studied physics with a minor in biomedical technologies at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, Switzerland. I did my Master’s Project at Varian Imaging Laboratory in Baden on transit portal dosimetry. After that, I went to Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark, for my PhD in health science which I defended in November 2017.

What is your area of research?

For the past five years, I have been working on motion monitoring and motion management. I have a particular interest for this application in SBRT for abdominal and thoracic sites.

How long have you been an ESTRO member?

I became an ESTRO member in 2014.

What role has ESTRO played in your career?

I have been to all ESTRO conferences since I started my PhD and I have attended several courses of the ESTRO school. My participation in these events has allowed me to grow a network with professionals from all the specialties and learn more about the interdisciplinary aspect of our field. There is always room for discussion beyond the formal presentations and for sharing ideas and opinions with engaged people which is very stimulating.

What ESTRO activities have you been involved in so far? And in the future, are there some specific missions within the society that you would like someday to participate in?

I have helped finalize the questionnaires for the PRO-BONO study and I am looking forward to seeing the results. Hopefully, we will be able to identify which professionals are more at risk of developing the burn-out syndrome and help them find ways to cope with this burden. During the 2nd ESTRO physics workshop, I volunteered to coordinate the study on the Patterns Of Practice for Adaptive and Real Time Radiation Therapy (POP-ART RT). I was also guest editor for the Young Corner in one of the ESTRO newsletters. I hope I will continue to participate in international projects such as PRO-BONO and POP-ART RT to help promote knowledge exchange within the international radiotherapy community. In particular, I think ESTRO has a crucial role to play to promote the participation of professionals from low and middle income countries so that radiotherapy is performed to the highest standard across Europe.

Why did you want to join the Committee?

I wanted to be more active within the community and gain a better understanding of how radiotherapy centres work in different countries. I think it is important to understand and embrace the cultural differences so we can learn from each other. 

Why would you recommend to students and young radiation oncology professionals to become members of ESTRO?

Why not?! Networking is essential in any field and radiotherapy is an interdisciplinary field by default. With ESTRO, young professionals can develop their network in a friendly and constructive environment. The ESTRO School also offers courses of very high quality which I highly recommend.

Jenny Bertholet
Institute of Cancer Research
Royal Marsden Hospital
London, UK